Building blocks are a beloved staple in playrooms all around Australia. Simple yet versatile, building blocks come in a range of shapes and sizes that both boys and girls will love. Here at My Happy Helpers, we have a wide range of building blocks for kids that come in gorgeous colours, finishes and characters to capture little ones’ imaginations. Your child will love the beautiful shapes and learning about patterns as they play with their building blocks, which will without a doubt become treasured playtime pals.
From wooden blocks to marble runs and magnetic block sets, My Happy Helpers’ building block toys are the perfect toy for children from the age of six months and up. Not only are they gorgeous and captivating for the imagination, but they are also a great way for kids to start developing their fine motor skills through fun, educational play.
What are building blocks toys?
As their name suggests, building blocks are toy blocks made of plastic or wood. Although they are most commonly cube-shaped, block sets can come in a variety of shapes and sizes, as well as colours and materials. Although they may seem basic, building blocks allow children to engage in creative and constructive activities (also known as block play).
What are building blocks made of?
Building block toys should be all about fun and worry-free play, which is why we take exceptional care to only use child-friendly materials to produce our toys.
Building blocks are commonly made from two different types of materials - plastic and wood. At My Happy Helpers, our wooden blocks are made from timber sourced from FSC (sustainably sourced) certified suppliers. This includes our New Zealand Pines, our Birch, Beech and Poplar Woods and also our limited range of eco-friendly MDF products. Our timber and eco MDF products have also been independently tested and verified to ensure they meet the current Australian Safety Standards, and we also view compliance certificates from every partner in our supply chain.
We also stock building blocks for toddlers made from Lucite - a high-quality acrylic plastic resin. Compared to traditional plastic, Lucite is heavier and more dense, giving it a pleasing weight when shaped into building blocks.
What are the benefits of toy blocks?
Because of their simple nature, building blocks are amazing toys for young boys and girls. Block play encourages creativity and imagination, teaching children to match, sort, count, stack and share. In addition to these concepts, building blocks have a significant impact on your child’s development, with a study in the Journal of Research in Early Childhood Education showing that children who play with blocks from an early age go on to perform better in maths classes in school. There’s a reason these so popular in preschool and kindergartens in Australia, and that’s because they provide such a wide-ranging and versatile learning experience for young minds!
How does building blocks help a child’s development?
As we stated above, block play is beneficial in a number of ways. By playing with building blocks, your little one will develop their physical, social, cognitive, emotional skills. In particular, because blocks include representation, directionality and symbolisation, they help your child make comparisons and advance their logical reasoning and divergent thinking.
Spatial Concepts:
As your little one starts to build structures, blocks will teach them concepts like under, over, on top, inside and between. This will provide context for spatial vocabulary and concepts, giving them a solid foundation for STEM studies.
Mathematics:
Once your child enters preschool, they will learn mathematical concepts such as symmetry, counting and sorting through block play - so why not give them a head start? Simply by comparing two piles of blocks, your kid will learn concepts of more and less, quantity and mass.
Motor Skills and Hand-Eye Coordination:
When little boys and girls begin to stack blocks, they will need to exercise concentration, patience and accuracy in their fine motor skills and coordination. They will learn cause and effect, the concept of gravity, balance and geometry.
Team Work and Social Skills:
There’s no better way to support your child’s social and emotional development than through block play. While playing with siblings or their peers, your little one needs to learn to share, cooperate, and communicate their needs. Having them build a structure will help them develop the skills to play with others and make new friends.
Imagination:
Last but not least, building blocks will grow your child’s imagination. Building blocks aren’t just blocks - they’re animals, vehicles, people, castles, farms, and so much more. To a child, a block can be anything, which encourages creative play.
What are the different types of building blocks?
There so many different types of building block sets available for your little one, and each comes with its own advantages. We recommend taking a look through every kind of block set as the best building blocks will be the ones that suit the interests of your child.
- Plastic or lucite building blocks
- Wooden building blocks
- Wooden marble runs
- Alphabet building blocks
- Sensory building blocks
- Stacker blocks
- Magnetic blocks
- Nesting blocks
- Rainbow blocks
- Castle and house blocks
What can I make with building blocks?
The best thing about playing with building blocks that there is no limit to what you can do with them. Here are just a few suggestions.
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Specific building tasks: Work with your little one and encourage them to build a particular structure, matching it to a template. Use pictures online as inspiration to create a construction project and guide them as they go!
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Roleplay with other toys: Use appropriate accessory toys like people and cars to encourage your child to engage in told play. Switch toys and characters, and use this as an opportunity to re-imagine storytime!
- Cooperative building: Help your son or daughter develop collaborative and social skills by building with others. By working on a project together, children will learn to discuss and communicate details, ideas and experience the joy of sharing.
- Play together: Last but not least, play together with your child! Research has shown that children get the most out of block play when someone demonstrates building for them, so use this time to bond with your child and help them grow.
If you are looking for building block sets for your infant or toddler, we have a great range available. Browse our selection of Australian wooden toys, and remember to take lots of photos, savour every moment and live life to its fullest!
